St. Helen School
1325 Bodley Road
Mississauga, Ontario. L5J 3X1
Phone: (905) 822-4564 Fax: (905) 822-5622
April, 2010 Newsletter
Principal
J. Rienzo
Blessed are you, Lord,
Secretary
For the glories of Spring.
E. Baumann
The world bursts with the signs of resurrection;
Parish
Flowers stir in their winter beds,
St. Christopher
Poking through the last traces of snow.
1171 Clarkson Road N.
Mississauga L5J 2W1
The sun drenches us with its warmth,
Phone: 905-822-1171
Stirring the hidden and waiting life
Pastor
Within the earth, within us.
Fr. Scott Young
The world awakening reflects the movement of my heart
Associate Pastor
And I am touched in the depths of my spirit.
Fr. Jerry Dunn
Superintendent
Art work is the power of your hands,
Mississauga South
The Spirit of drawing life from things both old and new.
C. Saytar
To be praised are you, Lord
Phone: 905-890-1221
For the blessings of Spring.
(ext. 24007)
Trustee
Sharon Hobin
Wards 2 & 8
Principal’s Message
Phone 905-301-1210
School Council Chair
S. Marshall
Board Chairperson
Anna Abbruscato
Director of Education
John Kostoff
Thank you to all students, staff and parents for welcoming me so warmly to the St. Helen community. I know you join me in wishing Mrs. Rienzo a speedy recovery. I have been very impressed with the attitude and behavior of students at St. Helen. The kindness and respect they
demonstrate towards each other and staff, on a daily basis, is exemplary. Their positive attitudes
and well developed work ethic set them up to maximize learning opportunities. I look forward
to getting to know more of the students and parents as the next month unfolds. I hope you all
enjoyed and celebrated a wonderful Easter weekend with your families and friends. Please feel
free to call me should you have any questions.
Yours truly,
T. Buchanan
VIRTUES PROGRAM – APRIL – LOVE LIVING OUR FAITH ASSEMBLY This month we celebrate the virtue of LOVE. On Fri., Mar. 26 we held a “Living Our Faith Assembly” where we acknowledged students from each class who dem‐
onstrated the virtue of RESPECT (February) and KINDNESS (March). Congratulations to all award winners listed below. Keep up your great work! God wants us to serve and see the goodness in everyone we meet. God has given us many people in our lives to show us examples of LOVE. Our families, teachers and friends show us their love every day. LOVE can be seen in the simplest acts of kindness, such as sharing a pencil, playing a game, or even by saying “thank you”. We should always show our LOVE for others because LOVE is about seeing the good in people even when they make us angry. Sometimes the great‐
est acts of LOVE happen when we are angry, such as not hit‐
ting our sibling back or not screaming at our friends. Jesus always with us and we should always try to remember His most important lesson, because LOVE is not about us – it is about looking out for the good of others. God’s two greatest commandments are: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind, and with all your strength.” February’s recipients were: Suzanne K., Gabriela J.,Carl C., Colin B., Catalina B., Nicole N., Michael H., Dylan S., Hunter T., Matthew L., Marissa S., Adrienne D., Sean O., Alexandra F., Laura D., Pedro O., Patrick R., Melissa B., Samantha G., Ellen R., Christine M., Santina L., Matthew T., Amber M., Kamil F., Steven M., Santina L., Alexandra D., Sabrina P., Jane M. March’s recipients were: Hailey C., Olivia D. Kyle D., An‐
tony T., Jacob O., Jonathan W., Mitchell S., Jacob Z., Mark K., Matthew L., Robina P., Lindsey D., Haylee S., Olivia B., Emma V., Nicholas Z., Joshua M.., Austin G., Natalie L., Ella M., Patrick F., Alexandra D., Caroline L., Christopher W., Anna F., Kyle S., Anna F., Nicole K., Aleksandra W., Karyna D., Samantha V., Ella M. CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK MAY 2 TO MAY 7, 2010 “You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” A loving person: Wants the best for others; Is willing to make a sacrifice for the good of others; Knows that we are all lovable; Prays for others. DATE CHANGE FOR SCHOOL EASTER MASS Please note – due to a conflict our school Easter Mass has been rescheduled to Wed., Apr. 14 at 10:45 a.m. at the school. All parents are welcome to join us! YOUTH FAITH AMBASSADORS ARE OFF TO THE YOUTH FAITH RALLY! On Wed., Apr 28 the St. Helen Youth Faith Ambassadors will participate in the Mississauga South Family of Schools, “Catholic Leadership Rally: 2gether We Build God’s King‐
dom”. Youth Faith Ambassadors from all Mississauga South elementary and secondary schools will participate in this exciting and motivating full day event. Thanks to O. Volchuk for leading this initiative. Catholic Education Week this year, takes place May 2 to May 7. The theme is, “Rejoicing in Hope.” Of special note is our Education Week Talent Show scheduled for Wed. May 5, at 1:15 p.m. Also, on Friday, May 7 at 10:45 a.m. will be our Crowning of Mary Liturgy. Please try and join us at one or both of these special events. PEEL REGIONAL POLICE PARTICIPATE IN STUDENT‐
STAFF CHARITY CHALLENGE On Fri. April 9 at 12:20 – 1:00 p.m. Grade 7 & 8 students will compete against staff and Peel Regional Police, Neighbor‐
hood Policing Unit, officers in a charity volleyball game to raise funds for ShareLife. Thanks to our NPU officers, Con‐
stables Wood and Roselle for their enthusiastic participation in this fun activity! All intermediate students and staff who attend, either as players or spectators, will all donate a $2.00 to ShareLife. A GIFT OF KINDNESS, TWICE AS NICE ….. You can double the impact of your generosity. Contributions to ShareLife can have a bigger impact than ever this year through the ShareLife Community Challenge! A generous donor has pledged to match all new and in‐
creased gifts to the 2010 ShareLife campaign, up to a total of $500,000. This gift applies to our school fundraising efforts as well. If you are a new ShareLife donor, your gift will be doubled. If you have given in the past but didn’t contribute in 2009, your gift will be doubled this year. If you’re a regular ShareLife donor and you increase your gift from the amount contributed last year, the increase of your gift will be matched as well. Whether you contribute at this parish, online, or through our school ShareLife fundraising activities, the impact of your gift will be maximized in a special way this year. For more information, visit www.sharelife.org. You can work WONDERS! TALENT SHOW St. Helen School is pleased to announce the 2010 Talent Show. Auditions began in March and students have been working diligently to practice and perfect their performances. We are delighted to see the diversity of talents the students have demonstrated. Our Talent Show will be held during Catholic Education Week on Wed., May 5 at 1:15 p.m. Par‐
ents are welcome to join us. Thank you to C. Naccarato, L. D’Ettore, D. Demelo, and V. Kvas for leading this great stu‐
dent activity! BOOK FAIR COMING TO ST. HELEN Spring into reading with St. Helen’s Book Fair. This is a book fair that will have books students can actually afford! We will have book selections for teachers and parents as well. All are welcome. Come and visit the Book Fair, April 15 to 23. See you there! REMAINING 2010 “TOONIE” PIZZA DAYS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS April 6, April 20, May 4, May 18, June 1, June 15 JOIN US FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING The next School Council Meeting will be on Tues., April 20 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend. Please come out and join us! SUMMER LITERACY CAMPS ‐ INTERESTED? Summer Literacy Camps for students in SK to Gr. 6 are being offered by the Department of Continuing Education July 5 – 30. The program runs 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday to Friday for 4 weeks. The cost is $200. for 2 weeks and $380. for 4 weeks. The camp will be located at St. Margaret of Scotland. This summer program is intended for students achieving at level 1 or 2. It is not intended for ESL (stage 1 or 2) or Special Educa‐
tion students. Teacher referral for admission to the Summer Literacy Camp is required. Applications are available from the school and are due no later than June 4. SUMMER SCHOOL Summer school – remedial literacy and numeracy – for stu‐
dents in grade 7 and 8 is being offered by the Department of Continuing Education July 5 to 24 at St. Luke located at 1280 Cobalt St., Mississauga. The program runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and is intended for grade 7 and 8 students who are achieving at levels 1 and 2 in English and Mathematics. Students must be recommended by the princi‐
pal to be eligible to attend. Transportation is provided. There is no cost for Grade 7 & 8 Summer School. Speak to your child’s teacher for more information. Deadline for ap‐
plications is June 4. DETERMINING CLASS PLACEMENT FOR SEPTEMBER 2010 The staff of St. Helen School will meet in the spring to begin discussing appropriate placement for each student for Sep‐
tember 2010. When determining placement some of the crite‐
ria we consider are: academic ability, individual work habits and study skills, maturity, date of birth, social factors, and placement history. We aim for classes that have a balance of gender, ability and behavioral needs. As you know your child best, we appreciate your input concerning special needs for your son or daughter. With this in mind, if you have con‐
cerns about your child’s class placement for September 2010, we ask that you put your concerns in writing. A Parent Re‐
quest for Class Placement Form is provided for this purpose. Parents/Guardians are asked to include the type of learning environment in which your child has experienced the most success. Please do not make specific requests for teachers as staffing is always tentative and changes can and often do take place between the time of tentative class placement and Sep‐
tember. All completed forms should be returned to the school by Fri., April 28, 2010. When staff meets to determine tentative student placement we will consider your input as well as input from the class‐
room and resource teachers and if we can accommodate your wishes, we will do so. It is not always possible, how‐
ever, to respond to all requests and we ask for your indul‐
gence and flexibility. Rest assured, that our decisions are made only after careful consideration of all the information and are based on the individual good of each child balanced with the common good of the entire community. MISSED REGISTRATION FOR JK 2010‐11? Pre‐registration for the 2010‐11 school year was held in Feb‐
ruary. If you missed this opportunity to enroll your child, or know of someone who has moved into the area, please con‐
tact the school for registration information. GRADE 8 GRADUATION If you have a child in Gr. 8, please mark Wed. June 23 in your calendars. Gr. 8 Graduation Mass, ceremony and reception will take place at 7 p.m. on June 23. Details will follow in May. DATES TO REMEMBER Tues., Apr. 6 – Pizza Day Fri., Apr. 9 – 12:20 – 1:00 p.m. Intermediate Student/Staff/Police Charity Volleyball Game Wed., Apr. 14 – 10:45 a.m. Easter School Mass Thurs., Apr., 15 – 23 – St. Helen Book Fair Tues., Apr. 20 – Pizza Day Tues., Apr. 20 – 7 p.m. School Council Thurs., Apr. 22 – a.m. Gr. 7 & 8 to Iona Matinee at Meadow‐
vale Theatre Sun., Apr. 25 – First Communion – St. Christopher’s Parish, 2 p.m. Wed., Apr. 28 – Youth Faith Ambassadors to Catholic Leader‐
ship Rally: 2gether We Build God’s Kingdom Thurs., Apr. 29 – Peel Regional Police Class Presentations Sun., May 2 – Fri., May 7 – Catholic Education Week – Rejoic‐
ing in Hope Tues., May 4 – Pizza Day Wed., May 5 – 1:15 p.m. Talent Show ATTACHMENTS Secrets of Discipline Flyer Parent Input for Class Placement Memorandum